Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-21
STATE HEALTH BOARD.

A Card from DIR. Garrison-some Interest
Ing Statements.
10 ne Editor Of TIE Register:
| desire to make a public statement of
certain matters pertaining to the State
Board Of Health, and to call public atten-
tion to certain methods adopted by DR.. 7.
A. Harris, the secretary Of the Board, who
evidently imagines that he is the State
Board of Health of West Virginia. The
State Board Of Health was created by the
Legislature of the State, and clothed with
certain corporate powers, which he has
usurped.
=@Chapter 80 Of the Code of West Vir-
ginia, Acts OF 1882, Section 4, describes
the duties of the Secretary of the State
Board of Health in the following language,
to-wit: The secretary shall be the re-
cOrding Ofic& of the aoard, and in addi-
tion to his other duties prescribed in this
chapter; he shall respond to all COM
municatiOns of the local Boards of
Health, as well as from any member
OF said State Board OF Health residing at q
distance from his office, aud give to them
such advice and information relative to
their duties as he may deem necessary and
proper. He shall also DO and perform such
other duties as the State Board may law
fully direct, and in case Of the prevalence
OF endemics, epidemics, infections and
contagious diseases, or other unusual sick
ness, he shall, on the request Of the Local
Board OF Health, visit the locality and
advise with them, and adopt such regula-
tiOns for its suppression rs may seem best.
He shall annually report TO the Governor,
on or before the first day of January, the
Investigations, discoveries and recon-
mendatiOns of the Board, which shall be
printed and distributed as sOOn as practi-
cable thereafter, In the same manner as
other public documents OF the State, ex-
cept that the Governor may cause said
report TO be printed and distributed annu-
ally"
Notwithstanding the fact that his duties
are specifically defined, he has, in defiance
of the law, usurped the authority of the
State Board and appointed local Boards in
the several COunties Of the State. Section
six of chapter sixty-four, Acts OF 1887,
distinctly provides that, 1T shall be the
duty OF the County Court to nominate and
the State Board of Health to appoint, in
each Of the counties of the State, three in
t~elligent and discreet persons residing
therein, two OF whom shall be citizens,
and one a physician qualified to practice
medicine under the provisions Of this
Chapter = \ = Is there anything in
this section which gives authority to the
Secretary, or any other indi Tidual mem
Der of the State Board, to appoint local or
County Boards? The law plain.
" makes it the duty Of the
State Board to appoint the
local Boards. The last meeting of the
State Board of Health occurred in July,
since which time nominations Of local
Boards have been made by county courts,
and certificates of appointment have been
issued to the persons nominated, by the
secretary, TO which he appended the seal
of the State Board of Health. DR.. Harris
had no more authority, under the law, to
make these appointments, than an indi-
vidual member OF a board Of education
has, to appoint teachers for the several
school districts represented by his board.
Sanitary regulations can not be enforced
by the local Boards so appointed, any
more, than 10y any other private citizen,
because they are not legally constituted,
and the very moment they enter upon
private premises for the purpose OF
enforcing such regulations they
become liable to prosecution for
trespass. 1t Is only through the local
boards that the State Board OF Health can
accomplish the great object for which it
was ~ostensibly created, viz. the protec.
tiCn OF the people from disease and quack-
cry within ~ well rs without the borders
of the State. As the case now stands the
citizens of Vast Virginia are practically
without such protection, aud Il vast sum
OF money is being wasted 10 crafty the
egotism of DR.. Harris. The law provides
that the sum of fifteen hundred dollars
shall he appropriated Tor tine Use OF
the State Board of Health annually,
and that all bills made out in due form
and verified by the member rendering the
service, or mourning the expense, or tray-
cling IN the performance of the duties Of
his office, shall be audited by the State
Board; but il the Secretary can usurp the
authority Of the Board in one case, what
is to prevent him from doing so in an
other, or from expanding the money
placed to the Boards credit, in such man.
ner as he pleases?
He could tor instance travel about over
the STATE upon tue slightest preleNt, SuCu
as the assembling Of grand iuries, for the
purpose OF prosecuting offences against the
law bv experimenting aud bringing to JUS
tiCc the offenders. All this would take
time aud money and what more inst than
that he should be properly remunerated
for such extra service? 1t is true the law
does not contemplate such action upon the
part of the Secretary, neither does it con-
template the appointment of the Of the
local boards by him.
"Harris' registration Of vital statistics
law" will cost the taxpayers of this State
at least twenty thousand dollars in the
next two years-fOr what? Nothing, ex-
cept that he may publish a report Of the
vital statistics of the State, as well as the
Auditor, at a salary not TO exceed i've
hundred dollars. Ii the old law by which
deaths and births were returned by the as
SCISSORS Of the several counties to their re-
s~pective county clerks and by the said
county clerks TO the Auditor was made
quate for the purpose, Harris law is
but little better, and the work will
be done at a far greater cost.
And it is calculated to create the impress
sion upon the public mind that the author
of the bill had in view something else be-
side the registration of vital statistics. l